The inaugural flight ceremony at Ankara Esenboğa Airport was attended by Onur Dedeköylü, Pegasus Airlines' Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and Pegasus officials, as well as João Macedo, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Portugal, Celeste Mota, the Economic and Commercial Counsellor and the Director of AICEP in Türkiye, Mehmet Sefa Ceyhan, Head of the Air Transport Department of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Yavuz Doğan, Deputy Provincial Police Chief responsible for Esenboğa Airport, Nuray Demirer, General Manager of TAV Esenboğa Airport, and Alp Karayalçın, Deputy General Manager of TAV Esenboğa Airport.

In his speech, Onur Dedeköylü, CCO of Pegasus Airlines, said: "Pegasus plays a key role in Türkiye’s tourism potential and figures. With every new route we open, we connect countries and destinations culturally and economically. Our Ankara-Lisbon route will help us extend this purpose and role to Portugal. With the launch of our Ankara-Lisbon route, we're not only adding a new destination but also a new country to our network. With our new route, we’re also connecting the capitals of both nations.” Dedeköylü continued: "Being one of the oldest cities in the world, Lisbon attracts leisure and business visitors for its vibrant culture and excellent hospitality. Ankara, the Turkish capital, and second most populous city in Türkiye, is the beating heart of our country as well as a thriving modern metropolis, rich in history, culture and offering our wonderful Turkish hospitality. Therefore, we believe we will serve hundreds of thousands of tourists between Türkiye and Portugal in the coming years. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has made the opening of this new route possible, especially to the Turkish and Portuguese Civil Aviation Authorities."

João Macedo, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Portugal, said: “The Ankara-Lisbon flights are not just between two cities but between two capitals. I´m certain both countries will get to know each other much better thanks to this new connection. Tourism and trade will benefit greatly, but in the end, it is these human contacts that will count and last into the future. As an airline that is over 30 years old and still expanding, we wish Pegasus Airlines every success in this venture and hope that it will continue to grow.”